The Black Eye
by Dernat
Summary: <html><head></head>A scientist unveils secrets of an ancient alien dreadnought, drifting through the depths of space. A Xeno is planted on the ship and swiftly kills his colleagues. Alone on the alien dreadnought running from the be... Or.. Who really should be running?</html>


**Author's Note: The names, characters and some of the creatures are of my creation, the rest is property of their respected authors. **

The Black Eye

Chapter I – The Dreadnought

_Darkness… Known to all intelligent life forms, indentified mostly as a possible hiding place for gruesome predator, enemy. Used by a lot of living beings as a form of camouflage, sometimes escape from lurking monstrosity nearby, a safe place. It can either be an enemy or a friend. But does it favor some creatures over the others? Does it choose it warriors and knights? One might think so, after seeing and experiencing the true terror and bearing in mind how overwhelming and paralyzing fear can be. The thing is, darkness really doesn't favor anything, it has no knights, no chosen ones, it's lover is fear. Unlike any other phenomena it has it's master, it parent, Father…__ Exactly these thoughts crossed my mind, when a large human-like hand caught the neck of a fearsome beast, which killed most of my subordinates, then found me and was practically swimming in it's own smug and joy. The hand was barely visible. It's owner was completely emerged in darkness of the obsidian room. Although my own hand was missing one finger and was covered in its own blood coming out from numerous flesh wounds I was still able to desperately enter an emergency command into the half-burned control panel above me. Surely the command worked and the little impulse of unknown to mankind energy crossed the body of the creature emerged in thick darkness waking it up and saving my sorry ass. Now sitting on the ground, my pants wet, obviously soaked in my own urine, I was watching the unthinkable twist in the plot of life with mixed sensation of horrible fear, determination and… satisfaction. The so-called beast was in fact a large for it's species Xenomorph. To be precise it was a drone with two tails instead of one. It probably mutated from the unknown radiation this huge wreck was emitting or perhaps it was a failed experiment of sorts... I had no time to really think about this, because of the whole panic, running, hiding and again panic thing. I for that matter was a known scientist, a part of Weyland-Yutani Salvage and Research department. The truth is I was the head scientist of the 3__rd__ department. A magnificent and respected position to be honest. And I EARNED it. Being an expert in fields of Advanced Mechanics, AI development, Universal Math, Alien Biology and Technology Engineering. I had what it takes to comprehend the complex mechanics of universe. This mission, was to be proof, a challenge, true breakthrough. A place where I could use my skill, put my incredible mind to use, decipher the secrets of the wreck. The corporation knew who to send. The risks of finding and studying an unknown piece of alien technology are enormous. I knew it, but still I choose to agree and go for it. The potential… The potential was limitless… I had to seize the opportunity. Still I couldn't help but wonder, how did this little beast got onto the wreck in the first place? Whole place was swiped and secured by armed and dangerous thugs, every inch of the ship was clear, clean and sunshine. Whole place scanned for living matter, blasted with two waves of Grant's Radiation. Nothing could have stayed unnoticed for those apes and our advanced bio-scanners. There were only two explanations for the havoc and wrath that stroked us not three hours ago. Either the little beast was in fact a non-living being or it was deliberately delivered here. In other terms it could have been a sabotage, a cunning plan to get rid of my genius self. A smart and innovative part of the department could have dug into some nasty, condemning documents and facts about the whole corporation. The leash they thought they were keeping me on, was in fact non-existent, the carrot they offered – not even close to the term of "prize" and the wipe they were using was laughable. I was the huge part of innovation and intellect in the department and the almost successful saboteur was right. I've seen and done a lot of questionable things inside of the corporation. I was in possession of very interesting files and documents, that a lot of competitors to WY and private vendetta seekers, would have paid millions for. That is of course, if I ever was interested in such petty things as money and power. My interest was much like fairies – there was none. The head of WY was a simpleton, who couldn't see me for who I really was; Pity. My devotion to science and discovery was absolute, there was nothing more important than this… Well, maybe except of living which was also my top priority. Either way I couldn't deny that even though, WY tried to silence me, they also helped me, gave me something unique. The knowledge I gained pass those 31 hours of research I was able to make with my assistances… The things I saw and unveiled. WY received only scraps of information, I never really intended to give them more. Perhaps that's another reason for this Xenomorph on board of Demora III. A way to make me cry like a sissy and run back to WY headquarters to seek refuge if I survived? I laugh at their pathetic attempt, I spit at their ignorance, I pity their souls and their existence… Demora III is going to live again. _

Human mind is indeed a wonder, all those thoughts were created via electric storm inside of the scientist brain in a matter of seconds. The little man, covered in sweat and blood sat on the obsidian floor. Leaning on the wall, he smiled unnaturally. The Xenomorph struggled, fought with the horrible grip of cold death, that was holding him calmly. He hissed and cried as he felt a completely new smell and embraced a completely new feeling. Smell of emptiness and mystery and feeling of hopelessness, terror. His oppressor was unlike anything he ever saw in WY laboratory, he was neither a host, neither one of his black brethren. The Alien tried to slash the hand that was holding him, tried to loosen the grip… All in vain. The hide of this thing was probably many times harder than his own. The struggle, the desperate fight with the inevitable ended, as a disgusting, cracking sound echoed across empty corridors and rooms of the wreck. Neck of two tailed Xenomorph snapped like a plank. The hand that was holding it let go of the body and slowly returned to the darkness. The Xenomorph made a thudding sound as it fell on the ground. Strange, unsettling silence enveloped the whole ship. The Xenos would-be prey stood up slowly, with considerable effort. It looked at the half burned console. Only one part of the old display was still working. The scientist hastily took out a sheet of paper from his dirty and ruined pants pocket. Using his somewhat healthy but bruised left hand, he unfolded the piece of paper and carefully studied it content. There were only two words written on the old fatigued piece of paper: "Vladimir Morkov". Pressing an eerie green button on the upper left side of the console, right above the display made a cracking static come out of the console speaker. The scientist almost whispered, with a voice of a scared boy:

"Initiate emergency override protocol B2. Authorization – Vladimir Morkov"

Blue letters appeared on the display, one after another, changing randomly. At least that's what most would think. Those letters were of a different alphabet, composed from many signs. Strangely enough, the display sometimes showed letters from the Latin alphabet. The signs never repeated in the whole process. The short man knew far too well what was happening. He sighed with relief and looked back straight into the darkness of the room. He was aware, that his savior was probably dormant again. The energy panel just below the creature shut down after it emitted a pulse of a strange black lightning into the body of the scientists savior. The thick and dense darkness made it impossible to see any details of the surroundings tough. After a while that seemed eternity to the bald scientist, a mechanical, alien voice echoed through the corridors, probably coming out from very-well hidden speakers. What was strange tough, the alien voice had a British accent…

"Override protocol in progress… Initiating full system check…

Life Support: Offline

Hull integrity at 61%

Vector Engine 1: Critical Damage

Vector Engine 2: Critical Damage

Vector Engine 3: Damaged

Weapon Systems: Offline

Gravitational Engine: Online

Generator 1: Damaged

Generator 2: Operational, 3% capacity

Generator 3: Critical Damage

Generator 4: Operational, 29% capacity…"

Scientist smiled and couldn't help but feel some pride. He managed to bypass the damaged modules in one of the alien generators minutes before the Xeno attacked. This was critical to the whole process… He didn't wonder, why he understood the mechanical, alien voice. The language it used was very well known to him. It was English, simple as that. How the AI knew the language and why was it using English for such announcement was a mystery tough.

"Crew members status: 69/69 deceased" The AI continued "Warning! Conditions for protocol Red 11 met!"

The short man knew, what was the meaning of the protocol. Studying the ships operational database in the central room of this floor helped to understand the rules of the Dreadnought. Excitement rose within him, despite the visible fact, that he was half dead and had an alien crewmember right behind him. Pursue of knowledge and scientific curiosity took over his rational mind. He wanted to witness, what was about to happen. Ships immortality lied within the protocol and it's activation through the override command entered earlier was crucial. _Demora III _was a truly magnificent piece of technology and even her looks demanded respect and amazement, not only because of the size. Her whole hull was obsidian black with some green symmetrical elements. She reminded of a shark in the hulls shape, with a dorsal fin, which began in about ¼ length of the ship, was elongated and reached to the back. _Demoras III_ back which contained the whole ignition and thrust system was a square made of four round triangles connected in an artistic fashion. Her sides were sharply connecting the upper part of the ship with the undercarriage. Being bigger than any spacecraft constructed by man and yet having more grace and feeling almost fragile in comparison with human-made battle cruisers was something unique. Sadly in her current state, _Demoras_ beauty was gone, replaced with hull breaches, holes and fire damage. The bald scientist couldn't wait to see _Demora_ _III_ in her whole glory and might, despite the fact he wasn't really sure, what would happen to him after the protocol takes effect. Everything he discovered and understood was remotely transferred and safely secured in his personal hidden storage computer on the deserted colony BV-002. Only someone worthy of the knowledge within could break his storage security system. That's the way it was designed. His grey eyes, showing intelligence and sick ambition were patiently staring into the darkness and waiting for the magic to happen.

"Warning! Red 11 is in progress… All personnel is to act with accordance to the protocol instructions"

The scientist turned his head at the console, staring at it with his usual bored and cold look, carefully reading every single sign it showed with awe. Luck was on his side, this was probably the only operational console on this side of _Demora III_. The only part of the ship still not breached and able to keep the artificially produced atmosphere, he and his associates created via WY machinery. Pressing a few buttons compressed the image, which console was trying to show on the whole display. Soon it showed the image only on the side of the display that was still working. Surprisingly to the small scientist, the console, the display and even the buttons didn't look like they were an integral part of the ship. They didn't belong to the design and were awfully similar to WY consoles. He and his subordinates were not the first expedition which stepped inside of _Demora III_ dreadnought, but they, or rather he, certainly discovered most. It was not the time nor the place for such divagations. Dismissing the persistent thoughts, he read what the display showed.

"Red 11:

Redirecting energy from generator 4… Failure!

Attempting to bypass damaged circuits… Success!

Redirecting energy from generator 4… Success!

Powering up Timescale Module… Success!

Timescale Module operational…

DADscaff Dssdhhj… Dsodk!"

The short man raised his eyebrow with surprise. Obviously the console wasn't prepared to show and execute such complex procedures. Fortunately the protocol was in motion and the Timescale Module prototype that the builders of _Demora III_ equipped her with, was working. The increasing hum coming out of all the walls around, assured him of that fact. He looked for something that he could use as a handrail and manage his balance, but was not fast enough... The hum inside of the walls turned into loud vibrations that shook the whole ship making his stomach go up all the way to his throat. He almost lost his balance and fell on the floor, fortunately he managed to grab the side of the large console and was saved from the painful fall. The vibrations turned into a tremor. Scientist instincts kicked in and he felt the sudden urge to run or hide somewhere, thinking for a moment that he will die as the ship will rip itself apart from the tremors that shook it up. Timescale was a prototype, it could fail miserably! He WILL die, the tremors continued and were taking too long, yet nothing else was happening. He screamed like an animal, when a part of the ceiling fell on the floor creating a cloud of dust, right next to him. No one could hear the fall, the tremors were too loud. Panic, shear panic flew through him, making his rational mind hide in the deepest parts of his consciousness. And then the tremors stopped so suddenly that one could come to believe that time itself came to end the farce. With great speed the part of the ceiling that fell not long ago returned back to its place and the crack in the ceiling, that probably appeared before he arrived was gone. Timescale Module, just as the instructions indicated manipulated the time, limited only to _Demora III_ environment. A godlike repair tool, able to return any part of the ship to it's former glory. The mechanics behind it were not as complex as it would seem. The key was to manipulate a completely new kind of energy, which the creators of the ship harnessed and used to their advantage. The little man watched as the whole ship, part after part was returning to it's mint condition. His eyes shining like two diamonds, watching a one in a lifetime spectacle with admiration. Dirt and burns inside and outside of the ship were gone in a matter of seconds. Holes and more serious module damage needed about 30 seconds to flow back through time. The miracle of time manipulation ended soon after that. AI of the ship made a quick system status check, stated that everything was "Dandy" and started a slow rebooting procedure. _Demora III_ got back to life, as bright blue light flooded into all of her corridors and rooms. The darkness inside of the dreadnought dispersed as it became a beacon of light in the dead and cold embrace of deep space.


End file.
